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More than a century and a half ago, Christian missionaries from the West brought the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to the peoples of Africa.
One of the inherent weaknesses of this evangelisation process was the imposition of Western ways of believing and thinking on the African people of God.
However, since every church is its own missionary, it cannot live its faith by proxy (cf. Ad Gentes, Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church, § 22).
This is why Saint Pope Paul VI, during his trip to Kampala in July 1969, made this call: “Africans, be your own missionaries.”
Fifty-five years later, Paul VI’s exhortation is even more relevant today: to evangelise Africa by and for Africans. This requires a true conversion to mission.
Converting to mission
At the level of each local church, we must assess to what extent our practices are truly missionary and revise them accordingly.
Too often, the tendency of most African bishops is to perpetuate the status quo, which does not encourage a shift from a logic of mere reproduction to one of innovation and creativity.
This also explains the pastoral ineffectiveness of the theology of inculturation. A community that is overly concerned with its image will inevitably lose its dynamism.
“I do not want a church preoccupied with being the center, which ends up trapped in a web of obsessions and procedures,” says Pope Francis (Evangelii Gaudium, § 49).
“At the level of each local church, we must assess to what extent our practices are truly missionary and revise them accordingly.”
Each baptized person must renew their understanding of mission. It is not just about traveling to the ends of the earth. Everyone is a missionary wherever they are.
In this sense, Pope Francis speaks of the “missionary disciple.” It is important to deepen the Pauline principle that one cannot be a disciple of Christ without being a missionary (cf. 1 Cor 9:16).
Encounter and testimony
Mission, therefore, is not limited to a physical sending forth or a formal proclamation of the Gospel. It is a testimony of life, a meeting that requires dialogue and respect for others and their culture.
“Every true and profound encounter involves an intercommunication for the benefit and gift of both parties.
The evangeliser receives as much as they give, not only on a human level but also in terms of understanding the Good News,” the late Archbishop Isidore de Souza of Cotonou said in his article “What If Africa Evangelised Europe?” (In Savanes-Forêts, No. 12, 1977).
The dynamics of mission are rooted in God, who is love. He invites us to bear witness to His love for the peoples of Africa by proclaiming the Good News of salvation.
- First published in La Croix
- Father Serge Bidouzo is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cotonou (Benin) and the former director of La Croix du Bénin (not affiliated with La Croix International).
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